1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for use in connection with vehicles. The vehicle doorframe mountable armrest has particular utility in connection with providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicle doorframe mountable armrests are desirable for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. Driving or riding in a vehicle for long periods of time can cause the occupant""s arms to fatigue when they are left dangling unsupported. Unfortunately, many vehicles having two-piece doors do not have armrests built in. Vehicle doorframe mountable armrests overcome this deficiency by providing an armrest that is easily installed on the bottom half of a two-piece door when the top half of the two-piece door is not needed. Optional padding and a swivelable cupholder further increase the utility of the vehicle doorframe mountable armrest. Moreover, the vehicle doorframe mountable armrest can be produced in a variety of colors to match the interior of the vehicle in which it is installed.
The use of adjustable armrests for installation in a vehicle is known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,497 to Wiles discloses an adjustable armrest for installation in a vehicle. However, the Wiles ""497 patent does not have a swivelable cupholder, and has further drawbacks of lacking opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,601 to Carlberg discloses a vehicle door top armrest that provides a place for comfortable placement of a driver""s arm. However, the Carlberg ""601 patent does not have a cupholder, and additionally does not have opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,650,385 to Payton discloses an arm rest that supports the arm of an occupant of a vehicle. However, the Payton ""385 patent does not have a cupholder, and lacks opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,088 to Terranova discloses a car arm restor that rests the arm of persons within most vehicles. However, the Terranova ""088 patent does not have a swivelable cupholder, and also does not have opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 390,530 to Robinson discloses a detachable arm rest for motor vehicles that supports the arm of an occupant of a motor vehicle. However, the Robinson ""530 patent does not have a cupholder, and further lacks opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
U.S. Pat. No. Re. 36,059 to Thomas discloses an adjustable window mounting vehicle accessory that provides comfort and support as an arm rest. However, the Thomas ""059 patent does not have a swivelable cupholder, and has the additional deficiency of lacking opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,401 to Ott discloses a vehicle arm rest that can be easily adjusted to make the height of the arm rest convenient for the user-occupant. However, the Ott ""401 patent does not have a cupholder, and further lacks opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that allows providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. The above patents make no provision for opposing ends that are adapted to fit into receiving holes present in the top of the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door. The Wiles ""497 patent, the Terranova ""088 patent, and the Thomas ""059 patent lack a swivelable cupholder. The Carlberg ""601 patent, the Payton ""385 patent, the Robinson ""530 patent, and the Ott ""401 patent do not have a cupholder.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that can be used for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the vehicle doorframe mountable armrest according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of adjustable armrests for installation in a vehicle now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest which has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by the prior art, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a plurality of second bars having opposing ends with one end attached to the opposing ends of a first bar. A plurality of third bars have one end attached to the opposing end of the second bars. The second bars are at a right angle to the first bar with a horizontal orientation, and the third bars are at a right angle to the second bars with a vertical orientation.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
The invention may also include a pad enclosing the first bar. There may be a plurality of clamps removably connected to the opposing end of the third bars. A cupholder may be removably connected to one of the second bars. The cupholder may comprise a mounting clamp with a cup-receiving ring attached to one end. The first bar, second bars, and third bars may be made of plastic, steel, aluminum, titanium, wood, or carbon fiber composite. The pad may be made of plastic, rubber, or neoprene. The opposing ends of the third bars may be adapted to fit in receptacles for an upper half of a two-piece vehicle door. The first bar may have a length of about 13xc2xd inches. The second bars and third bars may have a length of about 3 inches. The invention may be a single bar with its opposing ends having a horizontal, right angle band and then a vertical, right angle bend. The bar may have a diameter of about xe2x85x9c of an inch. The bar may be painted. There may be a pad enclosing the middle of the bar. The cupholder may comprise a mounting clamp with a screw hole in one end and a cup-receiving ring swivelably attached to its opposing end. There may be a screw removably threadedly inserted into the screw hole. The clamp may comprise a clamp body with a doorframe member hole in one end and a sleeve insert hole in its opposing end. A hollow sleeve insert maybe removably inserted into the sleeve insert hole, and a securing screw may be removably threadedly inserted into the clamp body. The invention may comprise an improvement to the bottom half of a two-piece vehicle door. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.
Numerous objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description of presently current, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this respect, before explaining the current embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that has all of the advantages of the prior art adjustable armrests for installation in a vehicle and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that has a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such vehicle doorframe mountable armrest economically available to the buying public.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new vehicle doorframe mountable armrest that provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. This allows the vehicle doorframe mountable armrest to removably attach to the receptacles present in the bottom half of a two-piece door.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. This makes it possible to attach the vehicle doorframe mountable armrest to doorframe members.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. This provides a comfortable support for a driver or passenger""s arm.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. This reduces the chance of a cup spilling when it is held by the cupholder.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors. This allows the user to remove the cupholder when it is not needed.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved vehicle doorframe mountable armrest for providing an armrest for a vehicle with two-piece doors.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty that characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated current embodiments of the invention.